Crafting with Kids

Hydroponics – the growing of plants without earth – can be achieved by a wide variety of techniques. The challenge lies on how to position the plants that will expose the roots to a constant supply of nutrient formula. This can be carried out in several ways, quite a few more efficient than others. Hydroponic systems have four categories the active which utilizes a pump, the passive, the recovery which demands recirculation of the solution, and the non-recovery. Several systems make use of grow trays to hold the plants and a container for the solution. Here are some common hydroponic systems you might be familiar with.

Ebb and Flow

In this active recovery method, crops in the grow tray are usually anchored by some sort of carrier (ideally one that retains water, like rockwool). A water pump on a timer periodically floods the grow tray with nutrient formula from the reservoir, then turns off and allows the solution to drain back through tubes into the reservoir to be reused. Also known (for obvious reasons) as flood-and-drain, this method is a popular choice for beginners.

The Drip System

This system is more or less the same with ebb and flow but instead of surging the grow tray this method uses a pump that pushes the nutrient solution around the network of tubes that drips the solution straight on the plant roots. This hydroponic systems can be either recovery or non-recovery, depending on whether you strain the solution back into the reservoir. If you want to do without the constant monitoring of the pH level then you might want to utilize the non-recovery version.

The Wick System

This program is an example of a passive non-recovery hydroponic system in which the solution gets to the roots through a wick. Absolutely no pump is required, and the water is not re-circulated, making it one of the simplest and least costly systems. Nonetheless, the yield may not be as impressive because regulating the water flow is a problem which means that the roots are getting too much or too little solution.

Nutrient Film Technique

Also called NFT for short, this is an active recovery system in which the plant roots are hanging in a continual flow (or film) of solution. A pipe is used as a grow tray and the plants are hanged on top while the roots are dangled and exposed beneath. The pump motor sends the formula into one end of the pipe, and it drains out the other end back again into the reservoir. While effective, this approach is also more complex and higher-maintenance.

There are several variations of hydroponic systems but the ones pointed out are the most common. Which hydroponic systems you select will depend mainly on your skill level and funds.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!